Fence



J. STEVENS.

Fence;

Patented July 20,1846,

v this material unfit for such a use.

UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH STEVENS, OF NORTHUMBERLAND, NEW YORK.

FENCE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 4,650, dated July 20, 1846.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH STEVENS, of Northumberland, in the county of Saratoga and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Mode of Making Fences, and that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the principle or character thereof, which distinguishes my invention from all other things before known and of the manner of making, constructing, and using the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- 1 Figure 1 is an isometrical View of a section of fence, and Fig. 2, the parts detached.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

It has heretofore been found diflicult to combine wooden rails with stone posts or posts of any similar substance so that they would not soon rot and be destroyed and stone is also too expensive for common use and can never be employed in cheap fences. By my improvements I obviate these difficulties and form a cheap and permanent fence, which can, however, if desired, be at once removed while its durability exceeds that of any wooden structure of the kind.

The construction is as follows: I form a four sided prism of clay of a suitable size and length for; the purpose intended, the upper end of which is made a little tapering. This is clearly shown at (a) in the drawings, the corners on two sides are cut off down to a sojuare shoulder forming a tenon (b) diagona ly across the top of the post. This is baked like a brick and in fact forms a post of brick of a single pieceno mortise is made in this post, or required by my structure which would weaken it and render Onto the tenon (b) above named I fit a cap of wood (0) having a mortise in it large enough to receive the tenon. This cap projects over the sides of the post and supports the top rails (d) of the two adjoining panels of fence; the ends of which are nailed to it, butting against each other over said cap. The lower rails (e) are mitered on to the post, which is set with the corners diagonal, and these rails are supported by the palings (f) that connect them with the upper rail, and I generally put a broad paling over the post as at (g) Fig. 1, so as to connect the two panels together. By this form of construction a cheap and durable fence is made, and one from which any panel can be removed without disturbing the other parts, or the whole can be removed and set up again without injury and with little cost. The posts are set in-the ground in the usual way, and on account of their weight are less liable to be moved by 'frost than those of wood.

Having thus fully described my improvement, what I claim therein as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The mode of combining the wooden panels with the posts (constructed of clay or other suitable material) substantially as herein set forth so that the rails shall be permanently secured to and suspended on the posts (which are placed diagonally in the fence), by the top rails that rest upon and are affixed to caps (c) on the tops of the posts; the bottom rails being notched out at their ends so as to embrace the posts and the two rails being connected by the upright palings as herein described and for the purposes enumerated.

JOSEPH STEVENS. Witnesses:

A. P. BRowNE, J. J. GREENOUGH. v 

